NOTEWORTHY PARENTING

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Back to School 2020: Go Slow to Go Fast

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Do you feel an underlying storm brewing as the back to school season is approaching?

Parents and teachers are wondering and worrying about how to proceed. Will kids experience a large backslide in their education? How difficult will it be to educate kids whether it’s at school or at home?

People around the world are united in this worry, as we all deal with the complete upheaval of healthcare and social norms.

How can we let go of how education looked before COVID in order to brave the unknown journey of how it will look now?

We may need to think about things from a different angle or mindset.

As we make decisions and move forward we can remind ourselves that there is no right or wrong way to proceed. Everyone is creating pros and cons lists, inventing new strategies, and searching for the best scenario for their family or school.

What works for one family may not work for your family.

As you make decisions, try to let go of comparisons or feelings of guilt. Give yourself room to change your mind or fix things that are not working for your family as they pop up.

WIll kids backslide academically? With so much change and so many adjustments to how we teach kids, I think it is likely that most or even all kids will experience some academic missed opportunities.

Will kids be able to make up those losses? Yes!

As we learn to manage this new system and as we learn to manage the COVID pandemic, I believe all kids will catch up. The world may even find better ways to educate kids as we work together to teach during this time.

These kids may lag a little academically today as a generation, but they will also catch up together as a generation once we overcome this obstacle.

Let’s look at some ways we can empower ourselves through this upcoming school year!

Teachers often refer to the saying “go slow, to go fast” at the beginning of the school year. That advice might be the key for you as you prepare your kids to go back to school this year.

Going slow means that you are thoughtful and purposeful in teaching the basics and the routines to kids. This ensures that the classroom operates in a welcome and efficient manner. Primed for optimal learning with peers and enabling teachers to move faster through the curriculum. Examples of this would be…

  • How to use a hall pass.

  • How and where to put your name on a paper.

  • Expectations for behavior in the classroom.

  • Reviewing last year’s material.

  • Systems for working in groups or sharing ideas.

As August approaches, teachers will have to teach many extra routines and rules for the new COVID classroom. They will be going slow to teach and reinforce new expectations.

Parents, if you are doing remote learning, don’t be in a rush to dive into the curriculum because you fear that your kids will fall behind. Set up your routines, and begin by doing some review.

Now is a good time to begin talking and forming plans to prepare yourselves and your kids.

Here are a few tips for starting off on the right foot during a year that has 2 left feet!

  • Give kids a heads up about how they will attend school this year. Talk about how things will be different and some things may stay the same. (There is always lunch and homework!)

  • Write your Back to School Roadmap! Keep all your ideas, routines, and plans here. Adjust as needed, but it will be helpful to have everything in one place as school begins.

  • Create some backup plans. Be prepared for temporary school closures. Be ready if the internet goes down at home.

  • Keep it simple. Keep backpacks in the same area. Keep all materials for remote learning in one area. Have a routine for keeping masks handy.

  • Do the basics well.

    • A good night’s sleep.

    • Healthy meals and snacks.

    • Get some fresh air and exercise.

  • Consistency, consistency, consistency. Consistent schedules. Consistent bedtime stories. Consistent cleanup routines. Keeps the family cohesive and moving efficiently.

  • If you have younger kids, consider practicing these tasks to make the classroom experience easier for them and the teacher…

    • Shoe tying/fastening

    • Jacket zipping

    • Opening their own food packages

    • Loading and unloading their backpacks

    • Mask wearing

  • Have a technology plan. Talk about the difference between using technology for learning vs entertainment. What are your family’s guidelines on technology access and use? If the family understands the system, then they can plan for how it will be used.

  • Conversations! They don’t need to be a deep dive into the meaning of life during this pandemic, but as in non-pandemic times, making the effort to check in on how kids are feeling can give parents insights to what is working and what is not.

  • Kids typically participate in sports or extra-curricular activities as school starts. Have those activities been canceled or modified? Will your kids still participate? What are some at-home activities that can fill in the gaps?

  • Ask for help! What if the lesson doesn’t make sense? What if your child is struggling? Teachers may not be available in classrooms after school for extra help or study sessions, but email them and ask for resources or strategies that may help your kids. Ask other parents, or find a teenager who can do an online tutoring session. You can also check out Khan Academy, or Varsity Tutors for even more options.

  • For the teenagers, consider how to support them as social events are canceled or modified. Assemblies, games, dances, concerts, musicals are likely to look different if they happen at all. Teens may feel robbed of the social aspects of school at this time. Hanging out with friends or dating may look different. Talk with your teenagers before school starts about their thoughts and consider ways to support them.

  • Here are some other posts that offer more back to school ideas….

Know that whatever you feel is best for your situation, is the right decision.

All kids will likely get a bit behind, but they will get caught up!

Go slow, create, and practice a plan that works for your family

so they will be able to take off and go fast!

Remember the tortoise wins the race!

Parenting is not about perfection.

It’s about the POWER in your PLAN!

Think it! Note it! Parent it!

Ready to start your parenting plan?

Check out the Noteworthy Parenting Book and Journal

available on Amazon.com

I love sharing fun and useful products for parents! Some links I use are affiliate links including links for Amazon.com. I get paid a small commission, without any additional charge to you if you make purchases from the links. The commissions are used to fund this site in order to bring fun and helpful content to parents! Thank you!